Feb 28, 20 this video was created for a secondary school english unit on shakespeares othello. Despite the barebones production, critics now praise it for its brevity and cinematic sophistication. The 10 best shakespeare movie adaptations ever made. Two bluray discs one containing both the european 1952 and americanbritish 1955 editions of the film as well as the audio commentary, which accompanies the 1955 version, the other housing all the supplemental material reside inside, along. The moorish general othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant michael cassio, when. With laurence fishburne, kenneth branagh, irene jacob, nathaniel parker. Ben jago, who seems destined for the top job of police commissioner, loses it to othello after he. Ive seen two different hollywood productions of othello, and neither was perfect.
It introduces the orson welles 1952, laurence olivier 1965, and oliver parker 1995 film adaptations, as well as. William shakespears othello directed by dimitri buchowetzki 1922 music composed and conducted by loris tjeknavorian recorded by. Dec 14, 1995 the uphill battle of selling othello as a christmas movie should be further helped by the wellpreserved relevance of this plays themes. The film version was also notable for being the first in which iago, portrayed by frank finlay, is implied to experience homoerotic desire which leads him to. The keeper dennis hopper crime thriller free full movie duration. This wouldnt be uncommon at the time but more modern interpretations have othello played by a black man. Iago is able to plant his cruel seeds of jealousy only because othellos character is so thoroughly prepared to receive them. The film is set in italy and follows the lives and interactions of several characters in a display of racism, jealousy, and betrayal. Special features include the short film return to glennascaul 1951. Nov 01, 2016 ive seen two different hollywood productions of othello, and neither was perfect. The scarf is taken from desi who is unaware of the fact until othellooden wants her to show the scarf to him. Directed by oliver parker 1995, 123 minutes so will i turn her desdemonas virtue into pitch and out of her own goodness make the.
The 25 best shakespeare movies of all time time out new york. That makes shakespeare the most filmed playwright of all time. Tim blake nelsons 2001 updated modern version of othello, o, integrates the important symbolism of the handkerchief as well as themes of jealousy and manipulation. It was directed by oliver parker and stars laurence fishburne as othello, irene jacob as desdemona, and kenneth branagh as iago. Librivox recording of othello, by william shakespeare.
At this point, both it and the 1967 version with lawrence ol. I found this 1995 version of othello to be very well done. Read the nosweatshakespeare modern othello ebook for free. The guinness book of records lists 410 featurelength film and tv versions of. New, restored 4k digital transfers of two versions of the film, the 1952 european one and the 1955 u. Its easy to overlook the relationship between hamlet and the lion king, since shakespeare certainly didnt invent the idea of an evil uncle. Adaptations of shakespeares plays and other works have been featured in nearly 500 films andor videos worldwide. The caucasian actor laurence olivier appears in blackface for the role in this movie, but his. Othello 1995 though it adds a few scenes that arent in the play and you can tell how i feel about unnecessary additions or subtractions of shakespeares work, this is. General othello sir anthony hopkins becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair, even though there is no evidence.
In its theatrical release, the film ran 90 minutes. Analysis of adaptation othello 1995 by oliver parker. Are these the 10 best shakespeare screen adaptations. Apr 25, 2014 the sexual drama of othello, the poisoning of the mind against the bonds of the body, was already on welless mind. In both versions, the michael cassio character is goaded into a drunken state, and a brawl ensues which damages his reputation. Othello s aide iago kenneth branagh, jealous over the elevation of his rival, cassio nathaniel parker, the directors reallife brother to lieutenant, begins scheming to make othello believe. Aug 30, 2017 othello, a moorish general in the service of the venetian state, is disdained for his race but valued for his military skills. Carnival 1921 film carnival 1931 film catch my soul. The uphill battle of selling othello as a christmas movie should be further helped by the wellpreserved relevance of this plays themes. Laurence fishburne plays the title character, othello, and is supported by a very strong performance from kenneth branagh. Othello is a 1995 american drama film based on william shakespeares tragedy of the same name. Othello, a moorish general in the service of the venetian state, is disdained for his race but valued for his military skills. While the film takes many risks, most of those risks are perfectly handled and blend with the story well.
Audio commentary from 1995 featuring filmmaker peter bogdanovich and orson welles scholar myron meisel. The scarf came from othellos mother, and serves to bait the jealousy of o. List of william shakespeare screen adaptations wikipedia. Translated as an easy to read, exciting teenage novel. On september 26, 2017, the criterion collection released both the european and 1955 us versions of othello on bluray and dvd. Most popular shakespeares othello movies and tv shows imdb. This is the first cinematic reproduction of the play released by a major studio that casts an african american actor to play the role of othello, although lowbudget.
This video was created for a secondary school english unit on shakespeares othello. Nelsons 2000 movie production of o shows differences as well as similarities to the original. An analysis of film adaptations of othello by caleb huang. Cultural changes ambiguous themes lack of stage directions tragedy of othello. Directed by oliver parker, it is the first theatrical production of the play that features an african american man in the lead role. May 10, 2015 othello 1995 directed by oliver parker is an excellent adaptation of william shakespeares the tragedy of othello, the moor of venice.
Othello 1995 directed by oliver parker is an excellent adaptation of william shakespeares the tragedy of othello, the moor of venice. Follows the acts and scenes of the original othello text. Even thought, the movie departs from the original play, due to the cutting of many dialogues, and an addition of new scenes, still this infusion of the authors vision and shakespearean genius not only changes a common. Love in othello is both an exploitable virtue and a vehicle for destruction. Tragedy of othello, the moor of venice 1981, starring. The newlymarried couple fall prey to the machinations of iago, othello s jealous ensign, who plots to destroy their union. Othello, one of shakespeares famous plays, has various movie versions. Iago is able to plant his cruel seeds of jealousy only because othello s character is so thoroughly prepared to receive them. With anthony pedley, bob hoskins, geoffrey chater, alexander davion. Entitled filming othello, the 120minute movie was intended to be the first in a series of documentaries by welles about the various pictures he had made. Filming othello, welless last completed film, a 1979 essay.
Here are the best, and most noteworthy, versions of othello that can help you study and better understand the play. These elements help oliver parkers version of othello remain effective for a modernday audience and to become a faithful screen adaptation. The moorish general othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant michael cassio, when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named iago. Citizen kane lives on as such a massive achievement that it often threatens to eclipse the rest of orson welles sterling filmography. Instead, filming othello, which had a theatrical release in the united states in 1987, was the last film directed by welles. Whats so special about nosweatshakespeare s modern english translation of othello. Othello 1951 orson welles synopsis, characteristics. The movie continues to show scenes of othello and desdemona having intercourse. This wouldnt be uncommon at the time but more modern interpretations have. Comparison othello play and film english literature essay. What are the most interesting film adaptations of othello. Laurence fishburne gave a stunning performance as the very intimidating and conflicted moor, and kenneth branagh as iago was his usual superb self, switching back and forth from menace in private to merriment or empathy when in the company of those he had to manipulate.
Ben jago, who seems destined for the top job of police commissioner, loses it to othello after he dramatically quells a race riot sparked by the death of. Welles began shooting othello without securing full financing, so he would gather his. John othello is an upandcoming black officer with the london metropolitan police. One could only hope to achieve what parker did when adapting shakespeare. The sexual drama of othello, the poisoning of the mind against the bonds of the body, was already on welless mind. The guinness book of records lists 410 featurelength film and tv versions of william shakespeare s plays, making shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language. Laurence fishburn plays the moor othello, a gifted general who is commissioned to confront a turkish army at cyprus. That sexuality also comes into play in the use of the fantasy sequences in which othello dreams of finding desdemona and cassio together in bed. To understand how groundbreaking this was, compare with the previous wellknown film versions of othello. Jun 01, 20 the 10 best modern takes on shakespeare in pictures. This lowbudget, heavily edited version of the play stars orson welles as othello and took four years to complete while welles raised the funds. The bulk of the story and several key scenes remain intact, with denmark swapped for the african savanna, and people swapped for animals mostly lions. Jun 21, 20 the first half of the movie may drag a bit and you may get a little annoyed with all of the uproar over a handkerchief, but you really need to watch it all the way through to the end.
Even thought, the movie departs from the original play, due to the cutting of many dialogues, and an addition of new scenes, still this infusion of the authors vision and shakespearean genius not only changes a common perspective of the play, but. A contemporary adaptation of william shakespeares othello. He accuses her of giving the handkerchief to cassio othello tells dedemona that cassio is. The following 24 pages are in this category, out of 24 total. The welles version is superbly acted but it has two problems. He weds desdemona in a mixedrace marriage that offends her father. Find imdb of these, the 1952 orson welles version is probably the most famous, for its convoluted. The force of evil in othello has its origin, like the origin of everything else in the tragedy, in the character of its hero, mark van doren wrote. Using about 50% of the original shakespearean text, director oliver parker brings a spare and engaging version of the play to the screen. To blame desdemonas death on iago is to turn othello into a pawn, and that violates the. Not necessarily, but the absence of a nonwhite othello on film until 1995 is striking.
This is i believe a way to modernize the version to appeal to another audience. Anyone interested in making a lowbudget movie ought to see orson welles screen adaptation of william shakespeares othello, a striking example of how much can be achieved with very little money. For years, stories about this singularly troubled movie circulated more widely than the film itself. Thats when the first major movie studio version was made starring an africanamerican actor, laurence fishburne, as shakespeares moor. Othello comparisoncontrast by brittany washington on prezi. The film othello is a remake of the classic novel by william shakespeare. This list may not reflect recent changes learn more. Although othello ends in tragedy, love is a prevailing theme that motivates many of the plays characters into action.
Pages in category films based on othello the following 24 pages are in this category, out of 24 total. If nothing has sparked your love for shakespeare, othello 1995 might just be the movie to seek out. The themes of jealousy, racial bias, and deceit function as structure for both. The newlymarried couple fall prey to the machinations of iago, othellos jealous ensign, who plots to destroy their union. Oct 09, 2015 are these the 10 best shakespeare screen adaptations.
The moor of venice timeline of othello act five othello enters desdemonas bedroom, determined to kill her. William shakespeare s othello and o 1760 words 8 pages. Nov 30, 2015 citizen kane lives on as such a massive achievement that it often threatens to eclipse the rest of orson welles sterling filmography. Othello is the story of a crosscultural romance between the title character, a noble moor who is a general in the venetian army, and desdemona, a beautiful and virtuous venetian lady. William shakespeares othello has the smallest cast among the tragedies, yet it is one of his most powerful works.